Ye Jianying

Ye Jianying (28 April 1897-22 October 1986) was a Marshal of the People's Liberation Army who served as head of state of China from 5 March 1978 to 18 June 1983, succeeding Soong Ching-ling and preceding Li Xiannian.

Biography
Ye Jianying was born in Mei County, Guangdong, Qing China in 1897 to a family of Hakka merchants. He graduated from the Yunnan Military Academy in 1917 before joining the Kuomintang under Sun Yat-sen, and he joined the Communist Party of China in 1927. Ye was a veteran of both phases of the Chinese Civil War, and he became a Marshal of the People's Liberation Army in 1955. Mao Zedong made him responsible for enforcing communist rule in Guangdong, but his leniency towards landlords (many of whom were just rich peasants) led to his replacement by Lin Biao. However, his military positions were preserved, and his influence grew after Lin's fall from grace and his death in 1971. From 1975 to 1978, he served as Defense Minister, and he took part in the 1976 coup against the Gang of Four following Mao's death. From 1978 to 1983, he was the ceremonial head of state as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and he died in 1986.